Chapter 29: Respect (2) (1/2)

Leonel's spear became swifter. The clearer his mind became, the sharper his ability shone through. A calculative mind didn't need to rely on emotion.

Maybe it was ironic that an inherently emotional man like Leonel had suddenly become the exact opposite. But it was an irony that Leonel wasn't thinking about.

[Call of the Wind], a technique meant for throwing, subconsciously molded itself into his spear. His mind could see through how it worked, forming dozens of calculations a second, he changed its foundation, adding a power previously impossible to his strikes.

It was only now that Leonel finally made use of his powerful spirit. To now, he had only foolishly only used it to power his Internal Sight. Even when he activated his Force, he had focused it into his mind, vastly improving his coordination and reactions.

But now, a pale light coated his spear. It didn't extend his blade to near the extent Aina's ax spirit had, probably because it was being wielded through a crudely formed technique Leonel was still adjusting even to this very moment. But its power was undeniable.

Leonel burst through the last line of Englishmen, his flexible armor and sweats matted in blood that wasn't his own.

”Aina!”

Having burst through only one side of the encirclement, Aina still had enemies closing in from at least three sides.

However, all Leonel received in return was a blazing ax.

He had never paid much attention to Aina's ax before. Maybe it was typical teenage boy selective sight. But, seeing it up close, it could only be described as a beautiful weapon.

It had a handle of over a meter and a half long, with a thickness so robust Aina's small hands couldn't wrap all the way around it.

The handle was a blazing red. Veins of gold and silver coursed through it, pulsing with a ruby light almost as though breathing.

The double headed blade was obscenely large, even a small bit longer in diameter from one blade to the other. The heads themselves glistened with a beautiful silver that was now covered in blood. But, their blade edges were an even deeper shade of red than the handle.

Like he thought before. It was a beautiful weapon. But it was maybe less so when it was coming for his own head.

Leonel knew Aina's strength was too much to take head on. Even with her stamina almost hitting zero, it was still over 1.00, far more than his own. In addition, he couldn't see through the grade of Aina's weapon at all, making him certain it would slice through his spear like it was rotting wood.

Without hesitation, Leonel ducked beneath it. Aina's agility matched his in this state, but it was clear that she was compromised. Her attack speed wasn't nearly as fast as it once was.

The moment the ax soared over his head, Leonel popped back up, using the flat of his spear's blade to slap the back of Aina's hand with some force.

It took more resolve to do this than he thought it would. The idea of harming her small frame made him sick. But he had no choice.